If Nan Fusheng wanted to deeply parasitize a single person, it would require at least three Time Worms.
Given that he could currently only split a maximum of nine, this meant he could at most deeply parasitize three individuals at a time.
Still, Nan Fusheng wasn't dissatisfied. After all, once someone was deeply parasitized, they essentially became his clone. And besides, this ability had the potential to evolve in the future.
Now that he could even deeply parasitize soul beasts, it was a great opportunity to practice and experiment, especially since he'd previously only been able to perform shallow parasitism on humans.
With that thought, Nan Fusheng relaxed his mind, and his vision began to change. A familiar forest and clear blue sky gradually came into view.
That's right—Nan Fusheng had once again entered the Spirit Ascension Platform. But unlike last time, where he had been sent in by the Spirit Pagoda's equipment and operators, this time he entered with his consciousness.
This was an unexpected gain from his previous trip to the platform.
At this moment, Nan Fusheng's awareness was attached to a large green bird—the very same bird he had first parasitized on his initial Spirit Ascension journey. It was a ten-year soul beast known as a Greenbird.
To be honest, even Nan Fusheng hadn't anticipated that after deeply parasitizing this Greenbird, he would be able to transfer his consciousness back into it at will. He had assumed that leaving the platform would sever their connection.
Yet here he was.
If there were Spirit Pagoda staff currently monitoring the platform closely, they would have noticed something unusual—a Greenbird soaring freely across the landscape, well beyond the typical range of its species.
If one observed, they'd even see a flash of intelligence in its eyes from time to time—something no ordinary ten-year soul beast could possess.
Of course, monitoring a flying soul beast in real-time would be a massive drain on resources, and honestly, no one at the Spirit Pagoda had that kind of time to waste on a minor beast. After all, Nan Fusheng hadn't done anything abnormal—yet.
Meanwhile, high in the skies, Nan Fusheng felt an uncontrollable sense of exhilaration. The suffocating pressure he'd held deep inside since his birth burst forth in a sharp, piercing cry that echoed across the heavens.
No one is born a performer.
But Nan Fusheng had nearly died the moment he was born, and had spent the next several years pretending to be normal, maintaining appearances, playing the role of someone he wasn't—even taking alchemy potions to maintain the facade.
On top of that, his soul didn't even belong to this world.
To put it plainly, he was frustrated and repressed—and he had been holding it all in. He couldn't show it. He wasn't allowed to.
Now, finally flying free in the skies as this Greenbird, he could let it all out.
When his emotions were spent, he felt a strange clarity of mind, a refreshing lightness.
No doubt about it—his mental power had grown significantly.
Just then, Nan Fusheng felt a strange fluctuation below.
A humid breeze carried into his nostrils. Peering down, he saw dense trees and overgrown shrubs thick enough to block his view.
"I must be getting close to the deeper area of the primary platform."
He sensed a faint ripple of soul power earlier, though due to distance, he couldn't discern its source.
"Might as well take a look. After all, this is just an avatar body."
Perhaps because he wasn't using his real body, Nan Fusheng's reckless side began to surface. He also wanted to test the Greenbird's abilities more thoroughly.
The bird slowly descended, aiming for the spot where he'd sensed the soul power fluctuations.
Then—suddenly—the Greenbird's body froze mid-air.
A primal fear surged from its bloodline, making it want to flee immediately. If it weren't under Nan Fusheng's control, the bird would have turned tail and bolted without hesitation.
Even so, Nan Fusheng could feel the bird's movement becoming sluggish—a reaction to bloodline suppression.
"The racial and bloodline hierarchy between soul beasts is insane... Thank god I wasn't reincarnated as a beast."
Muttering under his breath, he forced the bird to flap its wings and perch on a treetop, peering downward.
What he saw was a bear, tearing into the carcass of a monkey. The monkey's fur was dark red, and its body wasn't particularly large, but its arms were exceptionally thick and muscular.
Now, though, those powerful arms had been twisted backwards, as if snapped by a tremendous force.
"That's a thousand-year Power Ape! Known for brute strength, rarely rivaled among soul beasts of the same level. What could've taken it down so easily?"
Nan Fusheng shifted his gaze.
Then he saw it.
A massive bear, its fur gleaming dark-golden, towering over three meters tall. Its arms were disproportionately huge, and its shoulders were broad and built like city walls.
Most striking of all were the dark-golden claws extending from its arms—each one over a meter long, sharp and lethal.
"No way... It's that thing."
Nan Fusheng instantly recognized the creature. There was no mistaking it—not when it was one of the most infamous beasts in the soul beast world.
The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear.
According to legend, this beast was one of the most terrifying soul beasts in history. A fully grown Terrorclaw Bear had no natural enemies.
Even true dragons might not come out ahead in a battle against one.
It was a solitary predator, and whether in offense or defense, it was ranked among the absolute peak of all soul beasts.
The one before him was "only" about three meters tall—likely just over a hundred years old—but still far more than enough to kill a thousand-year Power Ape with ease.
Nan Fusheng's eyes narrowed.
"This must be the same Terrorclaw Bear from the original story—the one that later gives Tang Wulin his external soul bone."
After all, how could the primary Spirit Ascension Platform possibly house two of these legendary beasts?
He took one last look at the bear feasting on the ape's corpse, then immediately turned and flew off.
This thing was way out of his league.
But just as Nan Fusheng passed through the treetops and tried to escape—
The Terrorclaw Bear suddenly let out a deafening roar, aimed directly at the direction the Greenbird was flying.
Nan Fusheng's body tensed, and the Greenbird nearly lost control mid-flight. He turned to look back—
And saw the Terrorclaw Bear staring straight at him, its eyes locked on.
"What the hell?! I just saw you eating and now you're going feral?!"
"Why so hostile?!"
Flapping frantically, Nan Fusheng cursed in his mind.
"What is with this insane bloodline suppression?! I'm just a damn bird, and you—a bear that can't even fly—are suppressing me like this?!"
Before he could finish the thought—
A flash of dark-golden light burst from behind him.
Nan Fusheng didn't even need to turn around. He could sense what had happened:
His Greenbird body had been sliced into pieces.